Voting-machine.



No. 799,620. PATENTED SEPT. l2, 1905. W. J. WILKINSON.

VOTING MACHINE. APPLxoATIoN FILED MAB. 21. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED SEPT. l2, 1905.

W. J. WILKINSON.

VOTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.27.1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

n ing to shield the action of the voter.

UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM J. WILKINSON, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- FOURTH TO VILLIAM B. USILTON, OFy CHESTERTOIVN, MARYLAND, AND ONE-FOURTH TO LLOYD WILKINSON, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

VOTING-MACHINE.

Speciicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 12, 1905.

Application filed March 27, 1905. Serial No. 252,131.

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. VVILKINsoN, acitizen ofthe United States, residing' at Baltimore, in the State ot Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Voting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in voting-machines, and particularly to the class of machines shown and described in the pending application tiled by me on August 15, 1904, in which the registering devices comprise a series of threaded rods on which indicatorheads travel, so that each revolution of a rod will cause the head to travel over or past a scaled surface to indicate or register a vote.

As the present invention relates particularly to the construction and arrangement of de-.

vices which coact with the rods to increase the capacity of each rod in recording votes without increasing the length of the rod itself, a very brieil description oi' the parts that are identical with those oi' my said pending' application is deemed suiiicient.

The accompanying* drawings illustrate the invention, in Which- Figure 1 illustrates a top plan view of the machine; Fig. 2, afront elevation of the same, the cover being swung open to disclose the registering devices. Fig. 3 illustrates a perspective plan and sectional view of the rear portion of the machine and the devices to mechanically determine the number of candidates to be voted for by a single voter. Fig'. 4 illustrates an enlarged sectional detail of the registering devices provided with my improvement. Fig-s. 5 and 6show two perspective detail views of the device to prevent more than one movement or operation of the registering devices by one person. Fig. 7 illustrates a sectional plan view of a portion of the case to show the individual compartments for each registering device, and Fig. 8 illustrates the key device for operating the registering-rods.

Referring to the drawings by numerals, l designates a casing having a horizontal top 2, a bottom 3 parallel with said top, and a wall or screen 4, projecting from said top and serv- The case is also provided with a door 5, which during the progress of voting covers the tabulating or registering mechanism and prevents inspection of same.

The bed 2 (see Figs. 1 and 3) is provided with a vertical slot 6, which extends in a longitudinal direction, and at one side of the slot the bed is provided with a plurality of parallel spaces 7, which are preferably printed on a sheet and secured to the bed, and each of said spaces is designed to contain the name or' a candidate. It will be noted by reference to Fig. 1 that the spaces in the present instance are arranged in sets or sections 8, 9, and 10, which is for the purpose of placing the names of all the candidates Who are running for the same oiiice in one section, as has been fully described in my said pending application. It is obvious that the particular form and number of spaces or sections is entirely immaterial and will be varied to suit the particular election held. On the opposite side of the slot 6 the bed 2 is further provided with a plurality of holes 11,Which extend vertically th rough the top and are arranged so that each has position directly in line with one ot' the spaces 7 on the opposite side of the slot.

Within the case and below the top are a plurality of parallel vertical rods 12, which extend from the bottom 3 up to the bed 2. At the lower end each rod is seated ina socket 18 in the bottoni of the case, and the upper end of each rod projects from the under side oi' the bed and terminates in the hole 11 directly over it, which serves as a bearing to sustain the rod in a vertical position. The eXtreme upper end ot each rod is also provided with a squared head 14, which when the rod is in the normal or inoperated position is Wholly within the hole 11 and beneath the top surface of the bed 2.

Beneath the bed and extending in a direction parallel with the slot 6 is a slide or rod 15, one end 16 oil which projects through an end wall of the case and is provided with an inverted-U-shaped plate 17 which will presently be described. This slide or rod 15 has position so that one side 18 will register with the vertical wall of the slot 6, and said slide 18 is provided with alterally-projecting pins 19, which are arranged on the slide so as to have a position beneaththe top, but directly below the division-lines 20 between the sections 8 and 9 and 9 and 10. A plurality of plates 21 are also provided on the bed, and these plates each have a downturned iiang'e 22, which enters the slot 6 and projects down- IOO IOS

ving scale-lines on the partition.

wardly and adjacent the side 18 of the slide. These plates are of the same width as the spaces 7 and when moved horizontally may be made to cover any one of the holes 11.

By means of a suitable key 23 the head ends of the rods may be operated to record the vote for the desired candidate through mecl anism now to be described.

The rods 12 are provided with screw-threads 24, on which heads 25 of any suitable form are arranged to travel when the rod is turned. These heads in the present instance have the form of a nut, and at the front side each is provided with a laterally-projecting indicatorpin 26, as clearly seen in Figs. 4 and 7, which projects through a vertical slot 27 in a vertical partition 28 at the front of the rods. This partition is'provided with a plurality of said Aregistered for the candidate whose name appears on the bed or top opposite the upper end ofthe rod. These scale-lines are spaced apart, so that each revolution of the rod will cause the head 25 and indicator-pin 26 to travel successively from one line to another on the scale. It will be understood that the indicator-pin 26 on each head 25 by projecting through the vertical slot 27 will prevent 'the turning of the head when the rod is turned,

and as the rod is turned by the key the head is caused to advance on the rod a distance equal to the space between each two adjoin- The particular location of the partition and the scalelines are immaterial, and they may be placed in at the rear of the rods as readily as in front of them but by placing the partition at the front and at unobstructed of the scale and indicator-pins is obtained.

Adjacent each of the sockets 13 in the bottom of the case is a cam-surface 30, as clearly shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, which in the present instance extends from the bottom upwardly and around the circumference of the lower end of the rod. The higher point of the cam terminates at the rear of said rod and forms a vertical stop 39. A pin 31 projects laterally from the lower end of the rod and `when in the normal inoperated position rests on the lowermost surface of said cam, as shown in Fig. 6.

At the rear of the lower ends of the rods and within the case is a plate 32, which rests on the bottom3, with the front longitudinal edge 33 confronting the cam-surfaces 30. At the opposite longitudinal edge 34 of said plate are flat leaf-springs 35, which press against said edge and yielding-ly press the plate forward toward the cam-surfaces. The front edge 33 of this plate is provided with a plurality of stop-plates 36, which are of an angleiron form. These stop-plates are positioned on the sliding plate so that each will have a position adjacent one of the cam-surfaces. Each stop-plate is provided with a downwardly-curved corner 37 adjacent the elevated surface of the cam 30, and as each rod is turned in the socket 13 the pin 31 on said rod will ride up the inclined cam-surface and be delivered onto the stop-plate at the rear. This elevation of the pin over the cam-surface causes the rod to which it is rigidly attached to be elevated or raised in the socket and also causes the upper head end of said rod to be projected through the hole 11 and above the bed or top 2, as seen at 38 in Figs. 2 and 4, and will prevent further movement of the plates 21 on the bed.

Above the sliding plate 32 and within the case is a shaft 40, one end of which projects through the end wall and is provided with a hand-wheel 41. Projecting downwardly from this shaft are two arms 42, the lower ends of which lit into sockets or depressions 43 in the upper surface of the sliding plate 32. By turning the wheel 41, the shaft 40, the arms 42 will cause the plate 32 to be moved horizontally on the bottom against the action of the springs 35, and this movement of said plate will Withdraw the stop-plates 36 from beneath the pins 31 and permit the rods to drop back into their normal positions with the pins 31 adjacent the stop-wall 39. When in this position, the stop-wall serves to prevent the rotation of the rods in a reversed direction, that would cause the heads 25 and indicator-pins 26 to be returned toward their starting-point, and thus subtract from the votes previously cast.

A bell or other signal 44 on the interior of the box is connected to the shaft 40, and when the latter is rotated to release the rods and register the votes the bell is operated to give an audible signal that the vote has been registered.

As soon as the shaft has been operated and the rods operated by the voter returned to their normal positions with their upper head ends beneath the top the vote has been entirely registered; but the plates 21 will be in the position as set by the voter, and the succeeding voter by merely noting the position of the plates would have accurate knowledge of the vote previously cast. ln order to remove such a fatal objection, the voter or one of the election officials may grasp the U-shaped plate 17 and partly Withdraw the slide, and this movement of the slide will bring the pins 19 in Contact with the flanges 21 of the plates and move the latter from their adjusted positions and collect them at the ends of their IOO IIO

respective sections, and thereby prevent the next voter from gaininga knowledge of the vote previously registered.

By reference to Figs. 2, 4, and 7 it will be seen that the case is provided with a plurality of parallel vertical partitions 45, which have position at the rear of and extend at right angles to the slotted partition 28. These pary titions 45 each have position between adjacent slots 27 in the partition 28, and another crosswise partition 46 is provided at the inner sides of the partitions 45, so as to form a plurality7 of vertical compartments 47 between the two partitions 28 and 46, each of which compartments contains one of the registeringrods l2. In my pending application heretofore referred to these compartments are omitted and the. rods I2 are provided with only one head 25. By my present invention, however, I have devised means whereby I am able to provide each rod'with a plurality of heads and to cause said heads to travel one at atime from one end to the other of said rods in succession, so that each rod without being' lengthened may be utilized to record a large number of votes without the necessity of increasing1 the size of the machine. In carrying out this improved feature I form each rod with plain smooth surfaces 48 and 49 at its opposite ends and provide the screw-threads 24 between said smooth ends. I then increase the num ber of heads 25 on each rod, so that instead of merely providing one head for each rod I provide a number of them. In the present instance seven heads are placed on each rod; but of course the number may be varied at will. A Spanner-bar 50 is also provided on each rod, and these Spanner-bars span over the threaded portion 24 of the rods and at each end are provided with alterallyprojecting perforated extensions 5l and 52, through which the lower and upper smooth portions of the rods extend, so as to turn freely. The length of the Spanner-bar is determined by the number of heads each rod carries, and its length between the lateral extensions must be equal to the length of the threaded portion 24 of the rod plus the thickness of all the heads combined.

It will be understood that the Spanner-bar is movable lengthwise on the rod and that the heads 25 are movable on the rods from one end of the Spanner to the opposite end, as will presently be-more fully explained.

The operation of the devices, with the exception of the Spanner-bar and plurality of heads, is precisely like the operation described in my pending application hereinbefore referred to and will therefore be omittedin this case and the operation'descriptoion confined to the operation of the spanner- When the machine is to be put into operation, all the heads 25 will have position on the lower smooth surfaces 48, and the lateral extension 52 of the Spanner-bar will have position on the upper smooth surfaces 49 of the rods and immediately on top of the threads 24. lVhilc in this position, ready for starting, the lower extension 5l of the spanner will sustain all the heads, so that the uppermost head will have position where the lower end of the thread 24 will engage and lift it as soon as the first revolution of the rod is made. Each successive revolution of the rod will cause the head to travel alongI the thread, as hereinbefore described, and during the travel of this uppermost head all of the other heads will merely remain stationary on the smooth lower surface 48 of the rod. As the first head is reaching the upper end of the threaded portion of the rod and begins to pass beyond it onto the upper smooth portion 49 it will contact with the bottom side of the lateral extension 52 at the upper end of the spannerbar and cause said bar to rise. The raising of the spanner-bar by the head at the upper end will cause the heads at the lower end to be elevated at the same time, and as the head passes off the threads at the upper end of the bar the next head at the lower end of the thread will be engaged and begin its travel. This operation may then be continued. It will thus be understood that if one hundred turns of the rod is required to move a head from one end to the other the indicator-pin 26 on the head will have passed one hundred scale-lines and if three heads havebeen made to travel along the rod the indicator will be read as three hundred votes. From this explanation it will be seen thata rod employing only one head that would register two hundred votes may be made to register four, six, or eight hundred votes by the aid of additional heads and my improved Spanner-bar, thereby enabling the capacity of the machine to be increased six or eight times without increasing the size of the rods or altering the machine.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters' Patent, is-

1. In a voting-machine the combination with a case of rotatable devices in said case; a plurality of indicator devices to travel on each rotatable device and means whereby all but one of said indicator devices on each rotatable device are maintained in an inoperative condition until the one device has completed its travel on the rotatable device.

2. In a voting -machine the combination with a case of rotatable devices in said case; a plurality of traveling indicator devices on each rotatable device; means whereby the indicator devices on a rotatable device may be made to travel one at a time along said rotatable device and means whereby each indicator when completing its travel will cause another indicator to begin its travel along the rotatable device.

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3. In a voting-machine the combination with a case of rotatable devices in said ease; a plurality of traveling indicator devices on each rotatable device; means whereby only one indicator device will travel at a time, and means operating between the delivery end of the rotatable device and the feed end thereof whereby another indicator device will be started along the rotatable device as the preceding one completes its travel.

4. In a voting-machine the combination with a case of a plurality of rotatable rods in said case; a plural number of heads on each of said rods; means for advancing one head at a time on its rod to register each vote; means coacting between the traveling head and those yet to make the travel whereby when one head completes its travel another head will begin its travel on the rod.

5. In a voting-machine the combination with a case, of a plurality of rotatable rods in said case; a plural number of indicator-heads on each rod, and a Spanner-bar coaeting between the two ends of the rod whereby to start a head traveling along the rod as the preceding head completes its travel.

6. In a voting-machine the combination With a case of a plurality of rotatable rods in said case; a plural number of indicator-heads on each rod; a Spanner-bar coacting with each rod and spanning over the heads and the operative portion of the rod and means for advancing a head along the rod.

7. In a voting-machine the combination with a case, of a plurality of rotatable rods in said case and each rod having a threaded portion and a smooth surface adjacent each end of the threaded portion; a plural number of heads on the smooth surface at one end of each of said rods, and a spanner-bar coacting with each rod and spanning' over the threaded portion of the rod and also over all the heads on said rod.

8. In a voting-machine the combination with a case, of a plurality of rotatable rods in said case and each rod having a threaded portion and a smooth surface adjacent each end of the threaded portion; a plural number of heads on each of said rods and a spanner-bar having perforated ends through which the rod passes and said perforated ends being in the path of travel of said heads.

9. In a voting-machine the combination with a case, of a plurality of rotatable rods in said case and each rod havingI smooth ends and a threaded portion between said ends; a plural number of perforated heads on said rods and the perforations in said heads having screw-threads for engagement with said rods, and a spannersbar having perforated ends through which the rod passes freely and said Spanner-bar extending over the heads and also over the threaded portion of said rod.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM J. WILKINSON.

Vitnesses:

EMIL It. DaNi-IARD, Gr. FERDINAND Voer. 

